(Sadly, this series no longer exists. It was destroyed in the Summer of 2015, during a massive fire that raged through the owners’ Southampton, New York, home. My Four Elements have “returned to the Elements,” I guess…sigh…)

The series of four sculptures was inspired by the time-honored concept of “The Four Elements,” namely Air, Water, Earth and Fire. The shape of each piece reflects that of a helmet from a different culture. Air: The Heavens Protect Me, derives from medieval, Middle Eastern (Saracen) designs. Water: Are You the Island or the Avenue? resembles certain Viking (Norse) helmets. Earth: The Root of All Good is based on ancient Greek (Macedonian) helmet types, and Fire: Destruction or Rebirth? was inspired by Japanese (Samurai) designs. The surfaces of the sculptures were worked in glass seed beads, variously, in peyote, square, and netting stitches over turned and carved wooden cores.